GAINESVILLE,
Fla. –Defending NCAA champion Florida tops the 2014 preseason poll released by GymInfo
this morning. This is first time the Gator gymnasts open a season at No. 1
since the poll’s inception in 1992.

Florida
has appeared among the preseason top four teams each of the last eight years
(2007: 3rd; 2008: 2nd; 2009: 3rd; 2010: 4th;
2011: 3rd; 2012: 3rd, 2013: 3rd).

The five
leading the preseason poll also finished among the top five in the 2013 NCAA
Super Six team final. Alabama holds the No. 2 position on the preseason poll
and 2013 NCAA runner-up Oklahoma is No. 3 on the list released today. Rounding
out the top five on the GymInfo preseason list is No. 4 UCLA and No. 5 LSU.

Florida
faces eight opponents in the poll, including five in the preseason top eight. Four
of Florida’s home dates feature an opponent among the preseason top 12 – No. 3 Oklahoma
on Jan. 31, No. 5 LSU for the Feb. 21 Gators Link
to Pink meet, No. 8 Georgia on Jan. 24 and No. 11 Arkansas on Feb.
14.

In
2013, the Gator gymnastics team claimed their first NCAA Championship and
also won both Southeastern Conference and NCAA Regional team titles. Four Gator
All-Americans return this season, including the last two NCAA all-around
champions – sophomore Bridget
Sloan and junior Kytra
Hunter. Also returning are 2013 NCAA uneven bars champion Alaina
Johnson and 2013 NCAA uneven bars and balance beam finalist Mackenzie
Caquatto.

Season
tickets for the 2014 Gator Gymnastics campaign are now available for the low
price of $25.00. Find more information at the Gator Ticket Office linkor by calling the Gator Ticket Office at 1-800-34-GATOR
from 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The home season opens Friday,
Jan. 24 when the Gators play host to preseason No. 8 Georgia in the Stephen C.
O’Connell Center at 7 p.m.